Electric car revolution lacks energy

24/07/2011

Electric cars were supposed to usher in a new era of British manufacturing and responsible motoring, but despite a generous government subsidy, UK motorists are having none of it.

At least that's the finding of the RAC, which has revealed that between April and June of this year just 215 cars were bought using the 'plug-in' grant, compared with 465 in the first three months of the scheme's launch from January.

The simple reason for consumers being put off is not that the desire to gas-guzzle is somehow etched into our very living fibres, but the fact that, even with a £5,000 subsidy, electric vehicles are still very expensive, most costing in excess of £20,000.

Add to that the fact that not every eco-friendly car has to be electric – there are many cheap, conventional cars that are very carbon efficient. Some of them so much so that they are exempt from tax and the London Congestion Charge.

Add to that the so-called 'range anxiety', the worry that a car may run out of electricity and be nowhere near a charging point, and you've got the whole sector scratching its head. With constant refining of technology a solution is more than imminent, but for now Evs are looking a bit dead in the water. And we all know that water and electricity don't mix.